deadlifts...losing grip

I don't use chalk. Hook grip is important for oly lifting and since my focus is on that lately, it's an easy way for me to train for it. If I can pull off a hook grip on a 360lb deadlift with no straps, I'm ok for snatching with it at 160lbs.

ah, i was more commenting on the alternating hook grip. i read you were combining alternate with hook grip which made me wonder as an alternate grip without chalk is still pretty robust. either way consider giving chalk a try, it makes a huge difference. the chalk keeps your palms dry and increase friction between your hands and the bar which means better grip. and if you do try chalk, use some moisturizer on your hands after to keep your skin in good shape and to reduce the chance of building up big calluses.

the down side of a chome plated bar IMO i have seen them so slippery that even chalk made it had to keep ones grip . also how is the knurl on the bar you use i always tried to use a bar with a rough knurl .

Grip strength is a very good thing to have and I suggest you don't use wrist straps to make up for you lack of strength there.

I'm too rickety for dead lifts but I do shrugs on the Smith Machine (rack?) and incline dumb bell rowing and having forsworn my lifting straps my lower arm strength and grip are better for it.

“.....with a malevolent fascist swine atop its titular apex, the pitiful wounded beast of a rotten, spiritually dead American Superpower is careening towards epic barbarism while pushing the species dangerously to the tipping points of extinction.”

good info in this thread…i've done a couple workouts since the original post; have gone to a 5x5 with alternating grip, and it feels good. i think it'll take me a few more times to nail down the amount of weight i should be pushing/pulling when compared to a 4x10 routine. i'm shying on the side of less weight…it'll take some confidence using more weight i think. this goes for bench, squats, etc, too.

While there isn't a sentence or two that can describe what to do, the closest one can come to it would be the following.

Imagine the barbell is attached at each end to the wall, a foot above the ground. Grab it with each hand shoulder length apart, with your legs just inside that. With a flat back, try and break through the floor.

If you do the above, you will likely dominantly recruit your posterior chain and not try and pick the weight up solely with your erectors.

I am in no way qualified from personal experience to say anything about deadlifts heavier than 100 kg, but I read in a bodybuilding book that some powerlifters and bodybuilders use heavy curls with a pronated grip to increase their grip strength for pulling movements such as the deadlift.

"You don't learn from experience. You learn from reflecting on the experience."
- Kristen Ulmer

As someone who lifts sporadically (falling down mountains is my primary goal) but lifts for strength when I'm doing it, my grip is both the first thing to suck and the first thing to come back from the dead.

Unless you are training to look good on stage, never, ever use straps. Your grip might hold you back for a few sessions, but if you keep kicking its ass it will step in line. And in all honesty, a strong grip will be more useful in everyday life than your hug-muscles.

for me, i guess the change to 5x5, alternating grip has gotten rid of my problem. that being said, i'm not pushing myself to higher numbers per se, i am still cautious of heavy weight, i need to concentrate on my form for now

edit: my goal isn't to lift massive amounts of weight, it is more to be able roll around and play with my kids without feeling like an old man

not to hijack, but a question for you deadlifters. i get the reason to do deadlifts, the health and strength benefits, etc. here is what i don't get- watched a guy in awe yesterday at the gym. medium size guy ripped clearly very strong. but not a real thick guy. heavy heavy deadlifting. multiple sets. then he loads up to 450 got the belt on, straps everything. quivering with the strain looked like he was going to shear off clean at the waist. i'm thinking of calling 911 in advance. couldn't get it off the floor more than a couple inches. took off a 10 from each side to giver again. gets one rep. looks like he's going to cry with the effort. i wonder if he can walk today.

given the risks of this kind of technical lift and what's at stake with your back, what would be the point of pushing so hard? it looks ridiculous and bloody dangerous.

not to hijack, but a question for you deadlifters. i get the reason to do deadlifts, the health and strength benefits, etc. here is what i don't get- watched a guy in awe yesterday at the gym. medium size guy ripped clearly very strong. but not a real thick guy. heavy heavy deadlifting. multiple sets. then he loads up to 450 got the belt on, straps everything. quivering with the strain looked like he was going to shear off clean at the waist. i'm thinking of calling 911 in advance. couldn't get it off the floor more than a couple inches. took off a 10 from each side to giver again. gets one rep. looks like he's going to cry with the effort. i wonder if he can walk today.

given the risks of this kind of technical lift and what's at stake with your back, what would be the point of pushing so hard? it looks ridiculous and bloody dangerous.

for pretty much the same reason guys launch huge drops or gaps.

what you bring up though is one of the dangers of powerlifting vs olympic lifting. with dealifting for example there is far less technical proficiency required. this means people can just have at er and run a greater risk of getting hurt using heavier weights because of the lower level of skill required.